<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<head>
<style>
span { background:yellow; }
.float { float:left; background:orange; }
.outer { overflow:auto; margin:1em; }
</style>
</head>
<body>

<div class="outer">My name is<br><br>Fred.</div>
<div class="outer"><span>My name is<br><br>Fred.</span></div>

<div class="outer"><div class="float">My name is<br><br>Fred.</div></div>
<div class="outer"><div class="float"><span class="preline">My name is<br><br>Fred.</span></div></div>

<div class="outer"><div style="width:0;"><div class="float">My name is<br><br>Fred.</div></div></div>
<div class="outer"><div style="width:0;"><div class="float"><span>My name is<br><br>Fred.</span></div></div></div>

</body>
</html>
